Are Mom Friends Necessary in Elementary School? How a Shy Mom Interacts with Others.

The mom friend series has
become really long😶

The next one will be the final installment.
I would be happy if you could
stick with me a little longer♡

👇Click here for the previous story

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✏️Elementary School Edition

This is a story from after my eldest son entered elementary school.
I wasn't particularly conscious of
trying to make mom friends,
but I had some wonderful encounters here too😊

When my eldest son was in second grade, my youngest was born.
By going on maternity leave and stopping after-school care,
opportunities for him to go back and forth between our house
and his school friends' houses after school increased.

When they are still in the lower grades, the
plans and arrangements between children are super vague😇
(Especially for boys, I guess?)

Because of that, you inevitably have to contact the other parent
to make playing together go smoothly💦
There were times when we went to the meeting place,

but no one came and we were left waiting...
that happened too😅

At that time, there was a class contact list,
so I would first call to make contact,
or for homes we were visiting for the first time,
I would have my son bring a mini letter
with my contact information along with some snacks.

After all, it is a bit nerve-wracking
to go to or have a friend you don't know come over.

“I want to keep getting along well in the future, so I'll make sure I can contact the parent too”
“I want to fulfill my child's wish of 'I want to play with my friends!'”

With those feelings,
I did what I could within my limits.

I would exchange messages on LINE,
greet them when dropping off or picking up,
and chat a little when we saw each other at school events.

In this way, through my son's social circle,
the number of moms I knew gradually increased.

For a shy person like me,
having moms I could talk to when I went to school
was very reassuring😌

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Around that time, there were three boys my son was especially close with,
and naturally, the opportunities for the moms to see each other
increased as well.

Before I knew it, we had become close enough
to go out to lunch together as a group of four❣️

During this period, the other three moms were
stay-at-home moms or working part-time, and I was on maternity leave.
I think the timing was just
right.

You can't get that close with just anyone,
so I really feel like I was blessed with some wonderful encounters☺️
And I'm also grateful to my son for bringing us together🧡

From elementary school onwards, the pattern of
“getting to know the mom of a child your child is close with”
is overwhelmingly common, isn't it?

In fact, most of the moms I became close with through my son's connections
were moms of boys.
Opportunities to get to know moms of girls were
surprisingly few.

In elementary school life, you won't be in trouble
if you don't have mom friends, but
if you do, it's fun for both parent and child✨

Being able to exchange information is also really helpful.
If you meet a mom you seem to get along with,
I think it's good to try deepening the interaction
little by little💕

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Can you make mom friends through PTA too!?

As an exception, there are also
ways to become friends without going through your children💡
That is, through "committee activities" such as school PTA activities or
after-school care officers.

"I'd like to avoid it if possible..."

I'm the same, but many moms feel that way, right?
However, when you work with the same members for a year,
your bond naturally deepens.

In years with like-minded members,
I think it's incredibly fun✨
(Actually, my mom friends seemed to have a great time♪)

Even though I'm already overwhelmed with work and parenting,
doing PTA or after-school care roles is
really tough💦

The feeling of "I absolutely don't want to do it!!"
I totally understand.
I myself was 1000% negative
about it😮‍💨

Even so, when it was over—
"There were actually some fun things too~"
"I got to know moms whose children
didn't have any connection with mine~"

There are definitely times when you can feel that way!!
You will always gain something,
and it's also a learning experience to realize "there are all kinds of people"😌

So, if there is a mom who has been assigned a role for next year and
is feeling down thinking "It's over..."...
It's okay. It will surely work out somehow☺️

Even things you think are troublesome,
there is no such thing as a wasted experience.
After all, I think connections with people
are wonderful🍀

Even things that were difficult become
good memories after some time passes.

(*Since the PTA is also shrinking year by year, maybe the day it disappears completely is near~)

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Both children and parents meet people
at their own pace.
Before you know it, you might find yourself
connected through unexpected ties.

Although you may worry about the distance with mom friends,
you don't have to force it, and
if you can become friends naturally, that's enough😊

I want to continue to cherish
various forms of encounters🧡

Next time is finally the last day.
I would be happy if you read until the end🥰

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